Apple’s basic AirPods They are my least favorite technology product and I see them everywhereThey’re no longer great earbuds in either specs or design, and even with a new H2 chip and noise cancellation added to the higher-end AirPods 4, they’re still not great.
The first AirPods earned praise simply because they were among the first wireless earbuds that actually worked; earlier models from several other brands had connection issues. (It’s worth noting that the AirPods solved a problem Apple itself created by removing the headphone jack, but the company has solved it pretty well.)
The earbuds-free design had plenty of flaws, but it had one advantage: You didn’t have to take off your earbuds to talk to people, because they didn’t shut out the outside world. In the years since, newer wireless earbuds not only work well and sound great, but they’ve also solved the transparency problem. Every pair, from JLab’s $60 Jbuds ANC to Apple’s AirPods Pro, has earbuds, noise cancellation, and a transparency mode so you can talk without adjusting your earbuds.
These days, entry-level AirPods raise more questions than they answer. Why do they still not have earplugs, and how can noise cancellation be effective without a proper seal in the ear canal? Why do they still have a 5-hour battery life (which depreciates after a few years)? Why do they sound as good as competitors that cost half the price? I honestly can’t think of a reason beyond the amount of dollars Apple has spent marketing the earbuds. Consumers have a preference: AirPods Pro are Apple’s best-selling model, according to Apple. Apple itselfJust because you can sell an old product with a flawed design doesn’t mean you should.
50 million data points
The AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation look identical to each other, and so similar to the previous model that my friends and family have asked me which is which when I hold them side by side. (The telltale sign is that the sensor in the middle of the earbud is much smaller on the latest pairs, as you can see below.)
He AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation ($179) It has wireless charging in the case and a speaker for Apple’s Find My technology, meaning you can use your iPhone to find the case if you lose it. Those features aren’t available on the AirPods 4 for $129but otherwise you can’t tell the external difference between the hardware.
The cases on both models are the highlight of the design for me; they are smaller, sleeker, and easier to fit into small pockets. I wish we had a similar change for AirPods Pro 2These AirPods finally also feature USB-C charging, in line with European Union regulations coming into effect in December on a universal charging connector.
